AAAS 221SL · also CULANTH 221SL, DANCE 235SL, ROMST 235SL
Capoeira: Practice and Culture
Katya Wesolowski
Description from DukeHub
Lecture/lab course introducing the movement, music and culture of capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines dance, self-defense and acrobatics. Created by male African slaves in Brazil several hundred years ago, viewed as a social threat and outlawed in the 19th century, celebrated as an element of national identity in the 20th century, today capoeira is rapidly crossing national, racial and gender borders as it becomes a popular global practice. Studio classes twice a week focus on the basic movements, percussive music and call-and-response singing. Seminar once a week focuses on the historical, cultural and socio-political dynamics that shape capoeira in Brazil and beyond.
Skills
AI-resilient: 3 of 5
- Yes: Physical, lab or field work · "lab"
- No: Live work with people
- No: Judgment someone is accountable for
- Yes: A craft you practice with your hands or body · "dance"
- Yes: Small, in-person format · seminar, 18 seats per section
The checks lean on Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025), which found generative AI applies least to physical work and hands-on work with people. A signal, not a promise. How the score works
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